"Chitty Chitty Bang Bang" coming from MGM/UA to Blu-ray (1 Viewer)

[TonyD]

I have one com[plaint on Chitty the blu ray disc. Extremely annoying that when I pause I have to see that gigantic pop up display for the chapter location and it cannot be removed. At least on Uni discs I can push the down arrow to remove it.

 

[Steve...O]

Thanks for the pictures, Ron. Mr. Van Dyke, just a few weeks shy of 85 years young, looks absolutely fantastic. We should all be so lucky to retain our boyish enthusiasm when we're that age. Truly Scrumptious ain't looking bad either at 80.

 

[RCinOttawa]

Is it just me, or does the picture and audio go slightly out of sync when the kids are lured out of the toy shop by the child snatcher??

Seems to last for a couple of scenes...


Also (and I know I'm nitpicking here), the intermission card and entract practically overlap, and there is no chapter stop at that point. Kind of odd...


But all in all, it is simply GORGEOUS to look at, and the sound is great too, especially the musical numbers (I almost thought I was back at that 70mm showing I attended a few weeks ago).

 

The Intermission card and Entr'Acte card practically overlapped on the last dvd release too. I figured there would be more breathing room between the two on this one, but there isn't. However, this is a first-class release all of the way!!!!

 

[Stephen_J_H]

Originally Posted by OliverK

@GMpasqua:


your forgot two titles with US Blu-Ray releases:


2001

2001 was harvested from a 35mm reduction print, so it's not a true 70mm transfer.

 

[RobertSiegel]

Originally Posted by TonyD

I have one com[plaint on Chitty the blu ray disc. Extremely annoying that when I pause I have to see that gigantic pop up display for the chapter location and it cannot be removed. At least on Uni discs I can push the down arrow to remove it.

I agree with you. Same on Sound of Music. Freeze a frame and that annoying bar comes up. They should allow us to disable it in the disc setup.

 

[RobertSiegel]

Originally Posted by RCinOttawa

Is it just me, or does the picture and audio go slightly out of sync when the kids are lured out of the toy shop by the child snatcher??

Seems to last for a couple of scenes...


Also (and I know I'm nitpicking here), the intermission card and entract practically overlap, and there is no chapter stop at that point. Kind of odd...


But all in all, it is simply GORGEOUS to look at, and the sound is great too, especially the musical numbers (I almost thought I was back at that 70mm showing I attended a few weeks ago).

Ditto, This is a beautiful transfer, a movie that really caught me off balance when it was announced for Blu-ray, I never expected it this early. Gives me hope for Fiddler on the Roof now (and West Side Story for that matter) from MGM.

 

[RCinOttawa]

For some reason, the extras that are not in HD (Dick Van Dyke discussing the film, french trailer, vintage featurettes, etc) show up in the upper left corner of the screen, really small, maybe 15-20% of the screen, the rest is black.

The scope clips of the film within that 4:3 area end up looking like a postage stamp:










If I access the extras during the feature, when I return to the film, it has moved towards the right, cutting off the side:





How odd is that...

Am I the only one getting this?

 

[Ronald Epstein]

[COLOR= rgb(75, 0, 130)][SIZE= 24px]TRULY SCRUMPTIOUS[/COLOR][/SIZE]


Take a pee break before you read this. I am going to ramble a little....





I have very fond memories of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang

from my childhood. It was one of those films that
played on broadcast TV every year throughout the 70s

and every time it came on I found myself firmly planted

at the foot of my parent's bed watching it on a B&W TV.


There are many such films I watched as a child that

I revisit as an adult only to find that it hasn't held up

well over the years. Of course, all of you that have

similar childhood stories like mine will no doubt attest

to the fact that the magic within this film is timeless.

In fact, it's one of those rare movies that you can

faithfully hand down to your children who will then

hand it down to theirs and so on for generations to

come. In other words, this film will always be considered

to be one of the finest classic family musicals ever

made.


Last July I had the privilege of being invited to a
press event that Fox was throwing in New York City.

It was there that I first learned that they were planning

this film for Blu-ray later in the year. I immediately

congratulated the folks from MGM/FOX who were there that

evening for I was surprised and elated they chose this film

for release so quickly.

....and those of you who know the history of this film
on DVD can understand my astonishment. This was
not a film that MGM initially treated kindly on DVD. As

if they had their heads up their asses, the powers that

be at the time decided to release the DVD in full screen.

It took a lot of noise from fans and a few more years
for the studio to finally release a deluxe widescreen

release which received glowing reviews for its transfer.


However, MGM's library wasn't being distributed by

Fox back then, and it's obvious that is the reason why

bad decisions were initially made.


So, based on past history I never expected this film

to see the light of day this soon. However, Fox has
made a lot of smart decisions this year and seem to

be at the forefront of releasing some of the most
demanded catalog product of any studio. Kind of

makes sense when you figure they are one of the
few studios willing to talk to consumers on this forum.

It's quite apparent that they are listening.





So it seems that I am one of the last people to actually

be able to comment on this Blu-ray. I have been

traveling for the past week and tweaking my new LG

plasma. Nothing could be more fitting to demo my
new display.


I was very excited for what I hoped to experience.
Daylight Savings Time allowed me to wake up a bit

early this morning, got all my work done, and then
I cracked open a Corona, put my feet up on the table

in front of my couch, and began watching Chitty Chitty

Bang Bang.


This transfer lives up to the hype created by the HTF

membership. This has got to be one of the best looking

catalog films ever to be released to the format. For

starters, there isn't one single spec of dirt or blemish

on the print that someone must have spent a lot of
time cleaning up. I mean, for kicks and giggles I popped

in the 2003 DVD Special Edition and it is littered with

blemishes.

Secondly, this transfer reaks of perfection. The detail

is astonishing. The colors look amazingly natural -- not

ever once over exaggerated. The finest moments watching

this film come when the camera opens up to the sprawling

English countryside and all its splendor. It's so beautiful

to behold in this Blu-ray transfer and one wonders how the

hell the prior owners of the MGM library could ever defend

the full screen DVD they threw at us amidst anger from the

fans.


If anything negative could be said about this transfer is
in the faults it brings out in the original film's opticals which

is no fault of MGM. During the scene where the Baron is

chasing the floating car from his ship you can clearly see

that the sequence was filmed with a rear screen. Most all

the flying sequences suffer from what appear to be traced

lines around the actors as a result of the same effects work.


And, like the very first time I watched The Wizard of Oz

on Blu-ray, I discovered that it's detail revealed that it had

been recorded on a sound stage (which I always knew but

you could never tell on DVD). In this case, the carnival scene

now clearly looks like it was filmed on a soundstage where

looking at the DVD, you couldn't quite tell if it was filmed
indoors or outdoors. That's how remarkable the enhanced

detail in this transfer is.

Not certain I like the use of the Entr'Acte card though I am

certain this would not have been used if not in the original

film release. I went and checked the 2003 Special Edition

DVD and saw it being used there. It breaks up the film at

a pivotal point in the action, but then again, that was probably

the intent of the filmmakers.





A member here posted that the child catcher sequence outside

the toy shop was not in perfect synch. I would not entirely agree

with that. I think perhaps there was slight ADR work done, but

it mostly synchs up fine. Certainly nothing I would have noticed

if I wasn't specifically looking for it.


It's kind of startling to listen to the actors singing these musical

numbers in high definition. For the first time you realize how

much they were lip-synching. None of that was apparent on

broadcast television or even in the earlier video formats.


Sonically, the film sounds great. However, one could easily

be misled by the film's first 10 seconds where we see black

screen and hear vehicles racing from across the front and

rear soundstage. Unfortunately, that's really the only time

I can recall there being any use of surround channels. I would

have welcomed more effect sounds in the rear channels such

as the thunderstorm that Grandpa Potts gets caught with his

leaking roof. The musical numbers could have also benefited

from a more widened dynamic mix such as The Old Bamboo

which remains on of my all-time favorite musical sequences.
Instead, the audio in this film is wholly front dependent.


...but I'm nitpicking, aren't I.





I have to praise Fox for their Blu-ray releases this year.
When Fox rep James Finn asked our membership "Why Blu-ray"

I think you could cite any of their recent catalog titles as

being the answer to that question. Finally a studio that
gets it. People who not only know their library and what

the fans want, but put lots of care and digital cleanup into

their transfer without excessive DNR, and the end result
is what you get with Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.


This is Blu-ray perfection.


*Images are representative of the 2003 DVD Release

 

[GMpasqua]

Ron you couldn't have said it better - this film does look like perfection


This is a film that you fall in love with as a child - but if your first viewing is as an adult it's too late - you will never understand why the fans love it. It also brings back so many childhood memories. I had the car as a kid - actually I still have it (one of my favorite toys as a kid.)


Can't wait to see what Fox does with "Hello, Dolly" "Cleopatra" "Those Magificent Men/Flying Machines" even "Doctor Dolittle" and "Star" - all these films can look just as good - [COLOR= #0000ff]Hopefull we will see these films sooner than later.[/COLOR]


The Sound of Music, Chitty, Moulin Rogue and Rocky Horror all look great - glad FOX has finally started to release some musical films (South Pacific also looks great!) on Blu-ray - this is how these films need to be seen - on a large screen with great transfers.

 

[OliverK]

Originally Posted by Stephen_J_H



2001 was harvested from a 35mm reduction print, so it's not a true 70mm transfer.

Is this confirmed by Warner?


Even if it was I would rather concern myself with the end result which is how a movie looks on Blu-Ray.

2001 certainly looks more like 70mm film than Patton and Hamlet so even if it came from a 35mm reduction element (not print) that would be fine with me.


This brings up an interesting question though which is how the other Blu-Rays were created.


From what I know:


8k scan from 70mm IP:


Baraka

The Sound of Music

South Pacific


4k scan from 70mm IP:


Patton


I have no information for the remaining titles.

 

[Ronald Epstein]

Greg,


Thank you.


Listen, you quoted my entire review in your post.


It was too much. I hope you understand why I
removed it but left your response.

 

[GMpasqua]

That's fine Ron,


These last few weeks have been Blu-ray heaven. recently watched on my Plasma Screen:


The Sound of Music

Chitty Chitty Bang Bang

Apocalypse Now

Psycho

Moulin Rogue

Rocky Horror

Treasure of the Sierra Madre


All look like seeing a film in a theater - it's been a great month


Next week - Bridge on the River Kwai, along with Charade and Black Narcissus (from B&N's Criterion 50% off sale

 

[Charles Smith]

One more annoying nitpick, just to reiterate what a couple of people have already mentioned, but more in passing. Those humongous THINGS on your screen when you pause or fast forward or fast reverse -- AND when you resume play... WHY??


I was surprised at how often I was pausing, rewinding, slo-mo-ing, etc. throughout The Sound of Music, of all things. There's just so much to take in and savor. But that DISTRACTION lasting for several seconds every time you hit a button... why in the name of all that's holy isn't that an OPTION?


I forget who started it. Disney? Hated it then. Now Criterion's doing it. (Right?) I especially regret seeing it on the gorgeous new releases under discussion right here. And is it my imagination, or are these displays getting bigger and more distracting with every new release? On The Sound of Music there are TWO things, for crying out loud. Picture momentarily obliterated. A totally infuriating distraction.

I'm going on about this at the risk of blowing it out of all proportion. But it matters. When I put in a great film to watch and study, I don't want crap on my screen that makes me think I'm watching crap TV. Can this please be nipped in the bud ... now??

 

[Ronald Epstein]

Hi Charles!


You may be blowing them a bit out of proportion,
but everyone has different tastes in these things.


Here's my take...


I think the "cloud" chapter overlay is kind of cool
when you are skipping chapters. However, where
I found it to be highly distracting was scanning
forward and backward. It obstructs the picture.


So, if it is used as a chapter mark guide briefly

when skipping through chapters or when you
pause the player, I see no problem. I would just

rather not have the obstruction while scanning
forward or backward and that's my only beef on

the subject.

 

[Jeffrey Nelson]

Originally Posted by GMpasqua

Ron you couldn't have said it better - this film does look like perfection


This is a film that you fall in love with as a child - but if your first viewing is as an adult it's too late - you will never understand why the fans love it.

I concur 100%. You had to be there. I waited every year for this to be shown on television. It usually seemed to be around Thanksgiving when it would air, in all its cropped-to-fullscreen glory (I often wondered why everything was so skinny during the opening credits). It was my absolute favorite film as a child. It may not be as "good" as, say, MARY POPPINS (which is an unqualified masterpiece) and it has of course been accused as that film on wheels, but there's something about it that just enthralled me. Now that I'm an adult (sort of), I can see why people find flaws in it, such as the admittedly shoddy-even-for-its-time matte work which looked obvious on VHS let alone Blu-ray (though other effects are extremely effective, such as the car's-eye-view shots over the castle), or that the script and songs aren't up to the level of POPPINS (acknowledged about the script, as the characters definitely lack arcs unlike POPPINS, although I would argue that a few of the songs are almost there), etc. etc., I don't care. I love Dick Van Dyke, I love the car, I love the tunes, and I've always had a crush on Ms. Howes. And Lionel Jeffries is priceless as Grandpa Potts.


I also gotta say that the "Me Ol' Bamboo" production number is one of the greatest in film musical history, and I better not hear any arguments about that.


The only thing that worries me about this Blu-ray is the report of the sound synch issue; I hope I don't notice anything. Otherwise, I'm really excited and greatly looking forward to picking this up!


By the by, who are the people besides Dick and Sally in the promotional event pictures above?

 

[RCinOttawa]

One last tiny nitpick: I wish they hadn't tacked on the MGM logo at the begining and end, since it was a U/A release, and MGM had nothing to do with this movie when it came out. Can you imagine having the Warner Bros logo added to the beginning of The Wizard of OZ?

Actually, the 70mm print I saw recently had no logo at all. The theatre lights dimmed, and all of a sudden we were surrounded by the roars of a car race (it was very effective!). Then the lights turned off as the opening credits began.


I have to agree with the above comments on the screen being covered with various things when you pause, etc. Even my kids complained about it...

Less is more.

 

I'm going to probably watch this one tonight.

 

[Rob_Ray]

Originally Posted by RCinOttawa

One last tiny nitpick: I wish they hadn't tacked on the MGM logo at the begining and end, since it was a U/A release, and MGM had nothing to do with this movie when it came out. Can you imagine having the Warner Bros logo added to the beginning of The Wizard of OZ?

Actually, the 70mm print I saw recently had no logo at all. The theatre lights dimmed, and all of a sudden we were surrounded by the roars of a car race (it was very effective!). Then the lights turned off as the opening credits began.


I have to agree with the above comments on the screen being covered with various things when you pause, etc. Even my kids complained about it...

Less is more.

When I saw the film theatrically back in 1968, the lights in the theatre were full up and the curtain remained closed as the roars of the racing cars darted about the auditorium. The lights slowly started to dim but the curtain did not begin to part until there was an image on the screen. It was a thrilling bit of showmanship.


"Airport" had a similar opening. The auditorium lights remained up and the curtain remained closed as we were startled by the announcement that "Continental Airlines announces the departure of Flight Such-and-Such..." Only then did the lights dim and the curtain parted to begin the show...

 

[Stephen_J_H]

Alas, modern audiences need a hint beyond sound starting up that the film is beginning, so the recent Ontario example is probably one of the best compromises I can think of.


Re: the logo, MGM is notorious for replacing logos as they see fit.